amandaplaysjax

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Parents
will do pretty much anything in their power to keep their child comfortable,
safe and happy. Those parental instincts are what led Lisa Feder Youngelson to
create Zippyz, the organic cotton baby pajamas that are the signature product
of her company Little Trendyz.

While changing then-three-month-old son Ryan’s diaper in the middle of the
night, Lisa felt there had to be a better solution. Snap pajamas were too
cumbersome to try and match up in the wee hours of the morning and zippered
pajamas left Ryan’s body exposed to cold air from neck to toe.

So Lisa told her friend Erica about her idea and
the two got started on making Zippyz a reality. Zippyz are baby jumpsuits made
of organic cotton and bamboo fabric. There are three snaps at the top and a
zipper from belly to foot. This way, the baby’s chest is still covered and warm
during a diaper change.

Strength, weakness, threat, opportunityThankfully, Little Trendyz got its “why didn’t I think of that?” baby
clothing idea patented in June of 2013 after filing the patent in May of 2011.
This will lend strength to the
company going forward, protecting Zippyz as Little Trendyz’s intellectual
property for the next 14 years.
However, the strength of Zippyz being an original, better-for-baby product may
not be enough to overcome its present weakness
with some consumers: product cost. Surely, all parents will want baby
pajamas that are the best quality. Yet for some, buying a two-pack of baby sleepers
that only cost $8 at a big-box retailer (currently Zippyz’s biggest threat) versus just one sleeper that
costs three times as much ($24.99) before shipping may mean the difference
between being able to afford another box of diapers and a container of formula.Here is where Little Trendyz can seize an opportunity
for its integrated marketing communications (IMC) campaign: Take to its blog
more often to drive home to its target
audience of parents, grandparents and baby shower guests why Zippyz are
truly an essential item for baby. Perhaps notable moms like Giuliana Rancic,
who have already tried and enjoyed Zippyz, could even write guest blogs.

Lisa with Giuliana Rancic (and a Zippyz) at the Biggest Baby Shower in LA.

The “big idea” behind an IMC campaignBut blogs are just just one piece of Little Trendyz’s IMC campaign. Promoting
those blogs on social media channels such as its Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest will expand the
reach of Little Trendyz’s message. In turn, Little Trendyz can also use its
blog and social media to promote appearances at events such as Big City Moms
Biggest Baby Showers.

So you see, each individual piece of an IMC campaign all work together to
support each other. This is done with consistent messaging to support an
overall “big idea,” according to advertising firm Baumann Ber Rivnay. For
Little Trendyz, that “big idea” is that Zippyz bring “more cuddles, less fuss,”
meaning more time to enjoy quality time with your baby.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Before, during and after a social media campaign, a social media manager must examine the analytics behind that campaign to figure out what works and what does not so adjustments can be made along the way, if needed.

So how should you go about examining your company's social analytics? To demonstrate, I will examine the analytics for a hypothetical health-care focused company, ABC Company, which is based in Central Florida. In addition to its Facebook page, ABC Company has Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube accounts. However, the focus will be on ABC Company's Facebook Insights from April 28-May 25, 2013 and its email campaign Bronto statistics.Facebook Insights snapshot
Taking a quick look at ABC Company's Facebook analytics, the company's page has 880 likes. This is not a bad number, though there are definitely ways to tap into the 340,325 friends of fans that I'll discuss later.

Also, it's important to note that the demographic group that has been reached most by ABC's Facebook page (and the group that is talking about ABC Company the most) is females ages 25-34.

Not surprisingly, most of the people reached by the page and most of the people talking about the page are located in the United States in cities that are mostly in Central Florida. However, there are a few other countries ABC Company reached through its page -- Peru, the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico -- so the page manager may want to keep this in mind when posting.Email newsletter stats snapshot
Six hundred and sixty-one subscribers out of 2,606 subscribers who got it opened ABC Company's last newsletter, which translates to a 25.4 percent open rate. This may not sound impressive, but according to email marketing firm Mad Mimi, a 25 percent open rate is on the high end of the open rate average. Of those who opened the newsletter, 72 people, or 10.9 percent, clicked on links in the email. Mad Mimi says the click-through rate is usually lower than the open rate.

The conversion rate was zero percent from those 72 clicks and resulted in $0 of revenue, according to the report. However, the report does not show what those links are, so the links may not have been "money-making links" anyway.

How ABC Company can improve its Facebook efforts
It wouldn't hurt for ABC Company to try using Facebook Advertising, yet
Facebook Insights show (see left) that most of the traffic to the ABC Company page
is through viral reach rather than organic or paid reach. Here's how ABC Company can increase its viral reach:

-Make posts with photos.Most of ABC Company's Facebook posts appear to be text-based posts. Facebook users are more likely to interact with and share photo-based posts. Shares are a great way way to increase page likes, so making posts with engaging photos would be a quick, easy way to get more Facebook page traffic from those 300K+ friends of ABC Company's fans.

-Post timely, relevant content.According to 2008 data, Orlando has the 13th-highest rate of AIDS diagnoses among U.S. cities. ABC Company can use its Facebook page to raise awareness locally about an upcoming global event, World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. The company can post photos of red ribbons, Throwback Thursday photos of past World AIDS Days or share HIV/AIDS awareness content on its page from partner Facebook pages.To reach the page's primary demographic of women ages 25-34, it would be beneficial for ABC Company to post women's health content. This could include reminding women to do their monthly breast self-exam, to "SHARE" healthy mother-child sleeping tips or bring awareness to the fact that one in four women in America die from heart disease.

-Put calls to action in posts. Whether ABC Company is trying to raise funds for prostate cancer screening or get people to come to a health and wellness fair, calls to action are the best way to do that. "'LIKE' this post if you're coming to the health fair" or "'SHARE' this link to raise funds to fight prostate cancer."

-Use social channels to promote other social channels. This is a good thing for ABC Company to do, especially if it its social channels have only recently been established. Here are a few things ABC Company could do: Link from its Twitter account to a cool photo gallery on its Facebook page, mention its social channels at the end of its YouTube videos or add a Pinterest Page app to its Facebook page.

How ABC Company can enhance its email efforts
As I mentioned earlier, ABC Company's email is performing pretty well in terms of its open rate and click through rate. However, there is always room for improvement and some of the tips I mentioned to improve Facebook engagement can cross over to improve email marketing, if ABC Company is not doing these tips already.

-Keep length of subject line short. I know as a user, I don't like reading a super long or boring subject line. Mad Mimi recommends keeping subject lines 11 words or shorter and true to the actual content of the email.

-Use engaging photos. But not too many of them, or the email will look cluttered. And make sure the photo file size is not too big, or the email will take too long to load, which could lead to a frustrating user experience.

-Promote social media channels in creative ways. Try to go beyond having just links to social media channels in a header or footer, but engage a user with social calls to action, like "Visit our Facebook page to enter our giveaway!" or "Use this hashtag on Twitter to donate $1 to our cause."

Want to examine the data for yourself? Click here to see the full data for hypothetical ABC Company.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Whether people have a good or bad experience at a hotel, they love to tell their friends and family about it. That type of word-of-mouth endorsement has only grown with the advent of social media.

Businesses must always be ready to respond to customer feedback, no matter where it comes from or when. Social media has turned a business' hours of operation into 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

With that in mind, here is how I would respond to sampleTripAdvisor.com reviews if I were a social media manager for the Hyatt Regency Orlando, formerly known as The Peabody Orlando, and the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel. (I do not work for the staff of either of these hotels. These responses are for educational purposes only and reflect my views, not the views of either hotel.)

Here is a sample review for the Hyatt Regency Orlando:

Amanda Winkle, Social Media Manager for Hyatt Regency Orlando, responded to this review:
Travelwith3kiddos, thank you for your feedback on your most recent stay at the newly minted Hyatt Regency Orlando! On your next visit, just let our front desk concierge know which view you would like from your room and we will surely do our best to oblige. Glad your kids had fun at the pool! We also have bike rentals and tennis courts at your family's disposal for your next visit. Since our switch from the Peabody to the Hyatt brand, we still have the same great restaurants you enjoyed on your last visit. Chef Corey Crawford is still cooking up homemade diner favorites at the B-Line Diner and our wonderful Italian steakhouse The Capriccio is now the Fiorenzo Italian Steakhouse. We are glad you had a wonderful experience overall and hope you will come back and visit us soon for business or pleasure! If you have any further questions or concerns, please call (407) 284-1234 and ask for me.

And here is a sample review for the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina:

Amanda Winkle, Social Media Manager for Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, responded to this review: Hello Luv2TravelWithHubby. We apologize your stay was not up to the high standards that are expected from Hilton hotels. Since your stay, our hotel is now under new management and we are in the process of retraining our entire staff. We are also in the process of upgrading all of our rooms so they will now look like the room you see to the left. Please call 954-463-4000, ask for me and I will work with you and our hotel staff to make this right.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Even though an event or conference may only come once a year for an
organization, the excitement has to be sustained throughout the year for
that event to be a success.
According to Social Globe Media, a social strategy is essential to sustain excitement about an event: “The key is that an event is not really an event if
people aren’t sharing it, talking about it, promoting it and talking about
it after it happens.”On pretty much all of the major social media channels, the International Spa Association kept building
anticipation and excitement before, during and after its 2013 conference
in Las Vegas. They did this by sharing behind-the-scenes photos of pre-conference
preparations, sending live tweets from the conference floor and asking
attendees afterward how the conference enabled them to “Grow.”ISPA has a presence on pretty much every major channel: Facebook, two Twitter accounts (one for the conference and one for the organization itself), YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, as well as its website, conference page and blog.
During the conference, ISPA mostly used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. ISPA seemed to get the most interaction on both of its Twitter accounts, alerting participants to what was happening at that moment in the conference and what was coming up next, including talks from speakers, the live auction and reminding participants to visit the conference's Relaxation Area.Prior
to the conference, ISPA would give its followers a taste of the spa vendors
that would be present at ISPA 2013. Through Facebook and Twitter posts,
ISPA would show either a picture of that vendor's product or a link to
that vendor's site, and denote the booth where that vendor could be
found at the conference.To keep the conversation organized, two hashtags were used for Twitter, as well as Instagram: #ISPA2013 and #GrowYourWorld, which was the overriding theme of the conference and expo. These hashtags enabled ISPA to find who was talking about the conference before, during and after and talk back to them, or even retweet them. Sponsors were mostly promoted through a special page on the ISPA Conference page, and somewhat on social media. Though I did not attend the conference, I'm sure I would be safe to assume that attendees were given "swag bags" complete with sponsor-branded goodies.

Some delicious IMC at the ISPA conference!

Speaking of branded goodies, ISPA had some edible integrated marketing communications going on. Check out the scrumptious-looking "Grow" cupcakes to the left:Outside of its social media efforts, the most impressive standout of ISPA's IMC conference efforts was an app available for iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry. Admittedly, I haven't been to a conference or event in a while, but this really stood out to me because I don't recall going to an event that had its own app. With the app, attendees have the schedule, exhibitor locations and hotel information at their fingertips:

As you can see, from the logo from ISPA's conference website above to the ISPA 2013 app screenshot to the right, the color, look and feel of the branding is consistent. ISPA not only displayed consistent graphic branding, but with their messaging as well. Most of their Facebook posts, Tweets and Instagram pictures were similar to each other. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it ensures consistent communication, but marketers should not be afraid to change up messaging from channel to channel.There are only two nitpick items I would have liked to see more of in analyzing ISPA 2013's social media effort:-More pictures of attendees. People LOVE looking at photos of themselves having a good time with their friends and colleagues. Sporadic photos of the conference were posted here and there on social, but having a photographer go around and take loads of pictures to post in a gallery on the ISPA website and on social would be a great addition.-More updates to the blog. The last blog entry in the ISPA blog is from October 14, a whole week before the conference started. From its latest tweet, it sounds like ISPA is trying to round up proper reactions from attendees for a blog, but it would be a nice touch to see blog entries from right before the event, during and right after. It doesn't have to be anything fancy; it could just be a round-up of Twitter reactions to the conference. The quick blogs would serve as a great update until there is more time to craft a longer, in-depth blog post.Good luck to the staff as they gear up for #ISPA2014!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The following is a proposed social media marketing campaign for Disney's Animal Kingdom. It is a portion of the park's larger integrated marketing communications plan for the park. Note: Some of the posts are based on actual park activity, while other posts are a result of what you'd call "Disney magic" a.k.a. Imagineering:

One could argue that Walt Disney World doesn't really need any help selling itself. Disney is a brand that's recognized all over the world. Overall, Disney Parks has an established presence on Facebook and Twitter, letting guests know the latest happenings at not only Walt Disney World but Disneyland as well.

However, there's always room for improvement and we at Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World want to build a larger Facebook and Twitter following for Animal Kingdom.

We will do this through engaging our loyal visitors, asking them to share photos and memories from their visits to the park. We will draw potential followers in by informing them of all of the attractions and animals the park has to offer.

Here is a proposed schedule of our posts for the month of December:

Sunday, December 1Facebook
Hello to our Facebook fans! It's December, one of the most magical times of the year. From Discovery Island to DinoLand, Animal Kingdom is #WhereDreamsComeTrue."SHARE" your favorite part of the park with us. (INCLUDE BELOW PHOTO IN POST)

Monday, December 2Facebook
Do you have a case of the Mondays? Herbert the Hippo is right there with you. "LIKE" if you're counting down the days until you can come back and visit him in the Africa section of the park.
(POST WITH FUNNY PHOTO OF HERBERT)

Thursday, December 5Facebook
From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy last night of #Hanukkah (POST WITH PHOTO OF AK SIGNAGE WITH THE FULLY LIT MENORAH)Twitter
From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy last night of #Hanukkah (POST WITH PHOTO OF AK SIGNAGE WITH THE FULLY LIT MENORAH)

Friday, December 6Facebook
From the end of #Hanukkah yesterday to #Christmas in 19 days, the holidays are in full swing here at Animal Kingdom! Check out the holiday decorations in the Asia section of the park. How do you celebrate the holidays at your house? (INCLUDE PICTURE OF HOLIDAY DECORATIONS IN AK'S ASIA AREA)

Twitter#Christmas is in 19 days! Check out the holiday decorations in the Asia section of the park. (INCLUDE PICTURE OF HOLIDAY DECORATIONS IN AK'S ASIA AREA)

Twitter
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: Get in touch with your animal nature along with Simba and pals during the #FestivalOfTheLionKinghttp://bit.ly/1ayEt3ySunday, December 8Facebook
Guess what? We've got lots of great healthy food and drink options throughout the park to keep your family refreshed! Hummus, veggies and fruit, oh my! (POST WITH PRETTY PICTURE OF AK FOOD OFFERINGS)Twitter
Guess what? We've got lots of great healthy food options throughout the
park to keep you refreshed! Hummus, veggies and fruit, oh my!

Monday, December 9Facebook
You don't need to go to Grandma's for the holidays: Bring Grandma and all the gang to the Animal Kingdom Lodge! Start planning your trip: http://bit.ly/GXames (POST WITH PHOTO BELOW)

Twitter
You don't need to go to Grandma's for the holidays: Bring Grandma and all the gang to the Animal Kingdom Lodge http://bit.ly/GXamesTuesday, December 10Facebook
A lot of you are have asked for a behind-the-scenes look at how the building of our forthcoming Avatar world is coming, so here's a sneak peek, just for you (POST WITH PICTURE OF THE WORK SO FAR). "SHARE" your excitement!Twitter
A lot of you are have asked for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Avatar world is coming, so here's a sneak peek (POST WITH PICTURE OF THE WORK SO FAR)Wednesday, December 11Facebook
It's #WildlifeWednesday! Meet Speedy and Sassy, our pair of Galapagos Island sea turtles (POST PICTURE OF SPEEDY AND SASSY AND LINK TO DISNEY PARKS BLOG ABOUT THEM)

Thursday, December 12Facebook
It's #ThrowbackThursday! Here's a photo from Amanda W., one of our social media managers, from way back in 1999, the year after we opened! Post your #tbt pictures to our page or email them to animalkingdom@disney.com. We'll share your photos on future Throwback Thursdays!

Twitter#ThrowbackThursday: Here's a photo from Amanda from 1999, the year after we opened! Send your pics to animalkingdom@disney.com (ADD LINK TO ABOVE PHOTO)

Friday, December 13Facebook
It's Friday the 13th, but you don't have to be superstitious of this black cat! (POST WITH PHOTO OF SHELLIE THE BLACK PANTHER)

TwitterIt's Friday the 13th, but you don't have to be superstitious of this black cat! (POST WITH PHOTO OF SHELLIE THE BLACK PANTHER)

Saturday, December 14Facebook
Looking for a great place to take the family to eat on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? The Tusker House Restaurant in the Africa section of the park will be serving up classic holiday flavors. Reserve your table now: http://bit.ly/19VKeYb (POST WITH BELOW PHOTO)

Twitter
Looking for a great Christmas meal? The Tusker House Restaurant will be serving up classic holiday flavors http://bit.ly/19VKeYbSunday, December 15Facebook
10 days until Christmas! Get your celebration on by checking out Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade from now until January 2. Full details: http://bit.ly/1gYSyO9 (USE PICTURE BELOW IN POST)

Twitter
10 days until Christmas! Celebrate by checking out Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade from now until January 2 http://bit.ly/1gYSyO9

Monday, December 16FacebookEach day this week, we're shining the spotlight on each area of our park. Today, we're looking at DinoLand U.S.A. (POST WITH DINOLAND PHOTO, LINK TO BLOG POST/GALLERY ON DINOLAND)Twitter
Each day this week, we're shining the spotlight on each area of our park. Today, we're looking at DinoLand U.S.A. (LINK TO BLOG POST/GALLERY ON DINOLAND)Tuesday, December 17Facebook
TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT IS ON: Asia (POST WITH PHOTO OF ASIA, LINK TO BLOG POST/GALLERY ON ASIA)

Saturday, December 21Facebook
And now, we shine the spotlight on the portion of Animal Kingdom that we're all anxiously awaiting the arrival of: Avatar http://bit.ly/1d94XPj (POST WITH PHOTO SHOWN BELOW)

Sunday, December 22Facebook
It's the most wonderful time of the year ... to take on Everest! Check out everything you need to know to get ready for the expedition: http://bit.ly/1a5TgGc (POST WITH PHOTO OF GUESTS ON EVEREST)

Monday, December 23Facebook
We know, it's Monday. Perhaps your family is staying with you and driving you a little up the wall. (But hey, you still love 'em!) "SHARE" if you know what we're talking about! (POST WITH FUNNY PHOTO OF MEERKAT FAMILY GETTING ON EACH OTHER'S NERVES)

Twitter
It's Monday. Perhaps your family is staying with you and
driving you a little up the wall. (But hey, you still love 'em!) #MeerkatMadness (POST WITH FUNNY PHOTO OF MEERKAT FAMILY GETTING ON EACH OTHER'S NERVES)

Tuesday, December 24Facebook
Wait up for Santa tonight at Animal Kingdom with Mickey and his friends. Here's the scoop on where you can meet the characters at the park (POST WITH PIC OF SAFARI MICKEY AND MINNIE, AND LINK TO CHARACTER MEET AND GREET TIMES)

Twitter
Wait up for Santa tonight at Animal Kingdom with Mickey and his friends. Here's the scoop on where you can meet the characters (LINK TO CHARACTER MEET AND GREET TIMES)Wednesday, December 25Facebook
We wish you a Merry Christmas and hope to see you soon in 2014 (or even sooner)! (POST PHOTO OF HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE PARK, LINK TO BLOG ABOUT UPCOMING 2014 EVENTS)

Twitter
We wish you a Merry Christmas and hope to see you soon in 2014 (or even
sooner)! (POST PHOTO OF HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE PARK, LINK TO BLOG ABOUT UPCOMING 2014 EVENTS)

Thursday, December 26Facebook
From the Animal Kingdom family to yours, may you have the happiest start to your Kwanzaa season today (POST PICTURE OF KWANZAA CANDLES IN AFRICA SECTION OF THE PARK)

Twitter
From #DisneysAnimalKingdom family to yours, may you have the happiest start
to your Kwanzaa season today (POST PICTURE OF KWANZAA CANDLES IN AFRICA
SECTION OF THE PARK) Friday, December 27Facebook
We're always looking to improve so we want to
hear from you, our loyal guests: What you like us to do to make your
next visit to Animal Kingdom even better than the last? (POST WITH PHOTO OF SAFARI MICKEY EARS TO SHOW WE'RE ALL EARS)

Twitter
We want to hear from you, our loyal guests: What you like us to do to
make your next visit to Animal Kingdom even better than the last? (POST WITH PHOTO OF SAFARI MICKEY EARS TO SHOW WE'RE ALL EARS)Saturday, December 28Facebook
Where's Nemo? We've got him right here! Just keep swimming and check out Finding Nemo: The Musical http://bit.ly/16lvNlg (USE PHOTO BELOW WITH POST)

Twitter
Where's Nemo? We've got him right here! Just keep swimming and check out Finding Nemo: The Musical http://bit.ly/16lvNlgSunday, December 29Facebook
Thanks for sharing your holiday celebrations with us! We've loved seeing all the photos you've sent so far. Send your photos to animalkingdom@disney.com and we'll add them to our fan gallery! (POST WITH FAN PHOTO AND LINK TO GALLERY)

Twitter
We've loved seeing the AK photos you've sent so far. Send your photos to
animalkingdom@disney.com and we'll add them to our fan gallery!Monday, December 30Facebook
It's #MotivationalMonday! Get ready to get 2014 started off right by registering for our brand new Welcome to the Jungle 5K (POST WITH RACE LOGO AND LINK TO DETAILS ABOUT THE RACE)

Twitter
It's #MotivationalMonday! Get ready to get 2014 started off right by
registering for our brand new Welcome to the Jungle 5K (POST WITH RACE
LOGO AND LINK TO DETAILS ABOUT THE RACE)Tuesday, December 31Facebook
Happy New Year's Eve! We can't wait to see you again and wish you and yours a prosperous New Year. Have you made any resolutions? Ours is to continue protecting the wonder of nature. Click here to learn more about the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund: http://bit.ly/1eCVEFu (POST WITH A PHOTO OF THE ZEBRAS)Twitter
Our resolution is to protect the wonder of nature. Learn more about the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund: http://bit.ly/1eCVEFu

Sunday, October 13, 2013

For small business owners, using social media as a means to
grow their business may seem overwhelming. They may be wondering “where is the
best place to start?” That place is Facebook.

Facebook allows users to
find friends, personalize a profile page with photos and status updates and
connect with brands they love. In turn, Facebook allows brands to connect with its customers, steer the conversation about their business and target advertising very specifically.

Facebook for everyone, everywhere
These days, according to Business Insider, 67
percent of people in the U.S. who use the Internet are on Facebook. Though the
younger age brackets still have a larger presence on the network, its reach is
expanding. Since the end of 2012, the 45 to 54-year-old age bracket has seen 46
percent growth on Facebook.

Facebook users are taking the show on the road, as 819 million monthly users
accessed its mobile products as of June 30, 2013. Business
Insider also reports that the Facebook app
is the No. 1 social media smartphone app. If a U.S. business is looking to expand its brand internationally, there's also the potential of reaching more
people with Facebook: 86 percent of users who log in to Facebook are from
outside of the States.

So, if more than a billion people from everywhere in the world access each
month Facebook from a desktop or an app, it just makes good business sense for local,
regional and national brands to be a part of the conversation on Facebook.

How to get started
The first step in building a business presence on Facebook is to create a page.
Page administrators will want to choose engaging photos that are the correct
dimensions for the page’s cover photo and profile picture. Filling out the
page’s About and Location information will make it much easier for users to find that business on Facebook’s Nearby feature, thus making it easier for consumers to
connect with that business on mobile Facebook when they’re out and about. For a basic tutorial on how to build a page, click here. For a more advanced look, watch the video below:

Many businesses and public figures started out in Facebook’s early days by making
profiles that a user could request to be friends with, just like a regular
personal profile. However, many businesses ditched these friend-type profiles when
Facebook Pages launched in 2007, making it much easier for users to
differentiate between business pages, public figure pages and personal profiles.

To support a brand’s page making and posting efforts, Facebook has created several
different informational pages, including Facebook Business and Facebook Marketing. These pages
offer tips on how to manage business pages, show how these pages will appear in
mobile version and how to leverage Facebook’s advertising capabilities.

Expanding reach with Facebook ads
According to Facebook Business, there are 1
million businesses actively advertising on the network. For a long time, Facebook shied away from ads, not wanting to ruin the user experience. In order
to keep the site free to users, ads had to come along.

Facebook’s approach to ads is more refined for businesses, targeting the
consumers who are most likely to buy that product or service. While keeping user identity private, Facebook sells and displays ads based on“demographic factors such as location, age, gender, education, work
history and the interests people have chosen to share on Facebook.”Citing a 2012 Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings report, Facebook says its ads reach 91 percent of its intended targets.

Ads, which can appear in the site's right rail or as a sponsored story in the news feed, can be crafted based on what a business wants to accomplish. See the examples of sponsored stories below: a business can drive likes for its page, encourage users to share an offer, buy an item or download their app or program.

In fact, Facebook wants to do even more of the latter; drive users to apps they already have. Facebook ads of this nature will appear in a user's news feed and drive that user to apps they already have installed on their phone.

Best of all, Facebook's advertising offers instant feedback through analytics, allowing social media marketers to alter their campaigns on the fly. You can get more details on analytics in Facebook's Ad Manager Guide, or read this blog from my colleague Janis Butkevics.BONUS: Facebook plays nice with othersTwitter and Facebook updates can be synched together. Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, so a business can share its filtered Instagram photo posts on Facebook. Content a business pins on Pinterest can be blasted out to the News Feed. A Facebook profile can be linked to a Klout account so a business' "moments" can be measured. Also, Facebook Home for Android will allow Tumblr, Pinterest, Flickr and Instagram content to be shown on its lock screen.

I'd hate to play on the "everyone's doing it" mentality when it comes to Facebook, but it's so true. Numbers don't lie, and those numbers show a whole lot of people are on Facebook. So what is your business waiting for? Start advertising to targeted customers without delay!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Since
I was 9 years old, I have dreamed of writing a novel. Over the years, I have
started and stopped the process over and over again. The National Novel Writing
Month project has helped me to realize that I need to accomplish this dream
sooner rather than later.

NaNoWriMo,
short for National Novel Writing Month, gives aspiring novel writers the kick
in the butt they need to start writing. Writers have from 12 a.m. Nov. 1 to
11:59 p.m. Nov. 30 to produce a 50,000 word novel. That’s about 1,666 words per
day.

The target audience includes pretty much anyone worldwide who has a dream to
write a book. According to NaNoWriMo’s 2012 stats, “341,375
participants started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and
middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.”

Throughout the month, writers submit their word count to the NaNoWriMo website.
Wannabe novelists can also get support online from other “wrimos”
past and present, as well as through in-person meetups. Winners (those
who write a novel that’s at least 50,000 words and upload it to the NaNoWriMo
site) will be eligible to win “goodies.”

The NaNoWriMo project and site are important because it gives many people of
various walks a chance to actually accomplish their goal of writing a book. Most
people just need a deadline and structure to get them going and NaNoWriMo
provides that.

The thing is, and they warn you about this during the process, is that you can’t
be afraid to write some stuff that is crap. Full disclosure: this is a big
reason that I have started NaNoWriMo a few times and not finished. The fear my
writing isn’t good enough is a fear I really need to squash. But that’s another
blog for another time.

In terms of the other major social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.)
I don’t think NaNoWriMo is meant to be a direct competitor. What NaNoWriMo has
to offer is much more specialized than general social networking. National
Novel Writing Month gives aspiring writers the tools and motivation they need
to buckle down and write a book instead of letting life get in the way.

NaNoWriMo does a great job of helping writers connect with other writers where
they live through the individual localized threads set up
on their site. To increase awareness, NaNoWriMo could introduce an app, which
would send push notifications to users and let them know when there are writing
meetups in their area or where the closest Come Write In location is in
their area.

Like their worldwide participants, NaNoWriMo seems to be everywhere. The
organization already has a great presence on Facebook, Twitter
and content communities YouTube,
Pinterest and Flickr. They’re working
on building a presence on Google+. They’ve got a blog on Tumblr.

The next place National Novel Writing Month may want to work on building its
presence is on LinkedIn. There is a NationalNovel Writing Month group, but there is no company page. Also,
NaNoWriMo sends emails to writers who sign up, but they could perhaps extend
their reach with a direct mail campaign as well.

Bottom line, for a nonprofit with just seven full-time staffers, NaNoWriMo does
a great job of inspiring writers young and old all over the world, including me, to live their
dream.

Connect with me

About Me

My name is Amanda Winkle and I’ve always been curious about everything life has to offer, which has led me to becoming a grad student at the University of Florida. I’m also a working journalist! I live with my husband Jacob and our dog Mojo in Jacksonville, Fla., hence my moniker, “amandaplaysjax.”